Make a contents claim

When your things get damaged, lost or stolen, we’ll help you to get a repair or replacement sorted as soon as we can. From lost devices and water damaged contents, to smoke damage or home burglaries – we’ve got your back.

Start your contents claim using the forms below

It’s helpful to have the following details at hand, but not essential to start the claim:

Your Policy number - this is on your policy documents
Photos of your damaged or lost items (don’t chuck anything away yet)
Any details of the incident, or any police reports you might have.

Insurance provided by Vero

After you’ve submitted your claim:

Keep your claim number handy. Include it in the subject line of any emails you send us, so we can match it to your claim and avoid delays.

An assessor may visit to check the damage. This helps us understand your claim better. We’ll contact you to arrange a time if needed.

We’ll inform you if your claim is accepted. We aim to get things sorted for you as quickly as possible, but timeframes will vary depending on the complexity of the claim.

Contents FAQs:

What should I do now?

Yes, you’ll need to complete both the Home and the Contents claim form.

We always recommend letting your broker know if you make a claim. Your broker details will be on your policy documents or we can provide them to you.

What info do you need to progress my claim?

After you lodge your claim, we’ll let you know what supporting information we require. This may include proof of purchase for the items you are claiming for, such as:

receipts
bank or credit card statements to show purchase made
Trade Me or online transactions
photos showing the actual item.

We may also require proof of ownership such as:

valuations
packaging or manuals.

This additional information allows us to provide you with a fair and reasonable settlement for the items you are claiming for.

We may request a damage report to confirm if a damaged item can be repaired.

If a repair is needed, we'll recommend where you can get the item repaired.

If the item cannot be repaired , we may arrange a cash payment or vouchers with our approved suppliers, including Noel Leeming, JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.

What’s covered by my contents policy?

Your policy wording details your insurance cover including any exclusions you need to be aware of. Your policy schedule will also help you understand what excess may apply.

If you have a broker, they will be able to help you understand what is covered by your policy.

You can always lodge your claim and our team will let you know what is and isn’t covered by your policy.

Most contents policies have limits on how much you can claim for certain items, such as jewellery, bikes and camera equipment. If you wish to insure any item for more than its policy limit, you can often choose to pay an extra premium and specify the item on your policy. This item then becomes a “specified item” with its own policy limit.

For example, your contents policy may pay up to $3,000 for bikes, but you might own a bike which would cost $5,000 to replace. You may therefore choose to make this a specified item, with an increased limit of $5,000.

Check your policy wording together with your policy schedule, contact us or your broker to see what limits apply.

If you think you need to specify further items or change the limits on specific items on your policy, please contact our Customer Service team.

You may dispose of any perishable items that are unsafe. Keep photographic evidence and let us know what the value of the food is. You may be required to provide an itemised list and a quote or invoice for reimbursement, although in most cases, if your claimed amount looks reasonable, we will reimburse you straight away.

Our Home, Contents and Motor policies provide a personal liability benefit, which may cover you if you are legally liable for causing accidental bodily injury to others or accidental damage to their property in New Zealand.

If you are involved in an accident, it is important that you do not admit fault, speak to us first.

See your policy wording for more details or contact our Claims team to find out what you’re covered for.

Do I need to pay an excess?

Your excess is the amount you will contribute to the claim cost. You can find your excess information on your policy wording and schedule. Excess amounts may vary depending on the claim.

You may be required to pay this to Vero by credit card or bank transfer or directly to a repairer or supplier. Alternatively, we may deduct the excess from any monies owed to you.

We will advise you about the excess amount and how to pay it during your claim. If you have any queries or concerns our consultants will help you.

In most cases we will only charge one excess if you’re claiming on both your home and contents policy provided the damage was caused by the same event. It will be the highest of the two excesses.

Depending on the claim, we may be able to deduct the excess from any monies owed to you. Contact us to talk through the options.

Is there anything else I should know if I do claim?

You can cancel your claim at any time. You may have to pay an excess if repairs have started. Please contact our Claims team as soon as possible.

Our claims promise

We know that claim time can be particularly stressful for customers. Our claims teams aim to settle straightforward claims immediately.

If your claim is a bit more complicated, we’ll work with you and your broker or adviser to ensure your claim gets processed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Either way, we promise to treat all our customers fairly.

We’d love to hear your feedback, whether it’s good or bad. Give us feedback or make a claims complaint.

We are a member of the Insurance Council of NZ and adhere to the Fair Insurance Code, which provides you with assurance that we have high standards of service to our customers.